'Enjoyed and Hated It': Vishal Bhardwaj On Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Animal'

"I have still not made up my mind what to feel about that film," said Vishal Bhardwaj.

Sandeep Reddy Vanga opens up about Animal's success.

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram/@vishalbhardwaj)

Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal starring Ranbir Kapoor, hit the big screens for four months ago, in December 2023. Although the film was a huge box office success, it received heavy criticism for its perceived misogyny.

Recently, in an interview with Firstpost, filmmaker-composer Vishal Bhardwaj opened up about the film's success and how he's in two minds about it. "I have still not made up my mind what to feel about that film. because I enjoyed it, and at the same time I hated it,” he told the publication.

Speaking about how he is surprised to see an audience for the kind of film that Animal is, he added, "I think the recent hit film Animal is all what you are saying is all there. And we have a typical hero, too. That’s one of the biggest hits of all time. People still watch and still want that kind of movie. It’s a big surprise that there is a huge audience for that kind of film as well.”

The Maqbool director added that despite there being an audience for conventional entertainers like Animal, the audience is also showing appreciation for films like Kiran Rao's Laapataa Ladies and Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 12th Fail.

"Vidhu Vinod Chopra, at the age of 71, made the most beautiful film of his life. And with Vikram Massey, you really don’t need stars these days,” he told Firstpost.

In addition to Ranbir, Animal also starred Anil Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna, and Bobby Deol in the lead roles.